Chang Yi is the ruthless Fox ‘To-To’ who is next in rank under King Liang of the Yuan Dynasty (Wei Ping Ao). The Fox cunningly manipulates the ineffectual King so that he has full power to execute his plan - which is to take over the Ming Territories and also steal a treasured sword from the Miao People.
Standing in To To’s way is General Chang and his sons who have teamed up with the Miao People lead by Princess Ak Kai (Hsu Feng). It appears that a greedy Miao traitor called Tuan Shih (Liu Ping) is in league with To-To and it isn’t long before our heroes find themselves battling for their lives to protect the sword and their people.

‘Dragon Gate’ is a solid tale of greed, deceit and the tussle for power between the two Dynasties. The story is straightforward enough and those familiar with this type of plot will be well prepared for the twists which appear towards the end of the film. I am normally always a fan of subtitles but I felt that on this particular occasion an English dub would have been preferable as it took me a while to work out what was going on at first – another viewing will definitely be more rewarding.

The cast is first class, though the good guys are definitely over shadowed by the villains in terms of the characters they play in the film and overall charisma. I cannot reveal who Carter Wong plays but Hsu Feng, Lau Gwing Him and Wong Ging Ping are all competent enough in the hero’s seat. The villains are represented by a despicable Liu Ping who will do anything to get his hands on the Miao Sword. Wen Ping Ao plays the pathetic King Liang exceptionally well – though he isn’t actually evil at all and as effeminate as he is, all he really wants is the intimate company of a few nice young ladies!. Chan Wai Lau makes an appearance during the middle section too but as always, it is Chang Yi that steals the show!. In another formidable Fox role, Chang Yi tears the cast apart with his powerful Mantis technique and proves to be an extremely tough customer – even when outnumbered in the final battle. I especially liked the scene where he suspected Carter Wong of being a spy – instead of questioning him, he just unleashes a flurry of blows and leaves Carter reeling without any explanation. Great stuff.

You know what to expect with a Fox film and ‘Dragon Gate’ can stand up tall with the best of them. Be sure to stick around for a killer ending…

CHANG YI TRIES OUT HIS MANTIS FIST ON OUR HEROESPlease login to view this image...